Wild Card

Product Notes

'Wild Card' is filled with Richards' trademark melodic inventiveness, lush harmony, and vocal virtuosity. Songs include the lullaby 'Eiron's, Song,' the raucous dance tune 'The People Danced,' and the epic challenge 'Truth and Reconciliation in the USA.' Richards is joined by harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth, bassist Todd Perkins, vocalist Alyssa Schreiber, drummer Matthew Steward, cellist Abby Alwin, and percussionists Judy Piazza and Lori Fithian. 'Wild Card' explores topics from politics to spiritual awakening to love in it's myriad forms. They are songs to inspire, to ignite, to fall in love by - and they provide a moment of inner peace during tumultuous times. Richards is a prolific songwriter and recording artist. 'Wild Card' is her tenth recording; in her previous one, 'Animal Lovers' Project,' she collaborated with Oscar winning musician (Best Song for '8 Mile') Luis Resto, film and TV composer Daniel Kolton, and bassist Jason Boekeloo. In 1995 Richards turned her energy toward writing multi-media musicals. Her shows 'A Woman's Body,' 'Human Nature,' and 'Animal Lovers' Project' played to packed houses and traveled to cities in the US and in Canada. Quotes: ' 'Animal Lovers' Project' is a wonderful show. It comes straight from the heart, and that is an incredibly rare thing - a beautiful painting of the animal world.' Laurie Anderson Richards voice is rich and lusty... her work has at it's core, something big primal, and powerful. It drives her music and her dance. Rachel Urist, Ann Arbor Observer First of all there's her voice, which thwarts categorization as it flies from tremulous delicacy to raucous roar. Richards loyal listeners know that her voice is an oft looked over municipal treasure. Then there are her songs, which, often brimming with wit, irreverently skewer traditional boundaries of song craft, explore strange and wonderful image-scapes, and employ the richest and most unusual of harmonies and rhythmic textures. Ann Arbor News Jesse Richards, Artist Profile The last decade has seen the emergence of performing artists possessing emotional candor and political directness that has transformed the music industry. Singer, composer, dancer Jesse Richards takes her place among these artists, and is being recognized for the power and expansiveness of her talent. While Richards is a consumant musical craftsperson who carefully plans her effects, she makes frequent use off improvisation while performing. Using an electronic vocal loop, she creates layered textures and harmonies, displaying both the control of a baroque contrapuntist and the wild abandon of Jimi Hendrix. Richards' influences include the Beatles, Igor Stravinski and the sounds of nature. Her harmonic inventiveness brings the 'Eurythmics' to mind. She pushes against some of the same avant boundaries as (Kate Bush). Ultimately Jesse Richards carries us with her on an emotional, political and spiritual quest to stay conscious, no matter what the cost, in a society that tries to tell us sleep. Listen! Jesse Richards has released 10 recordings on the ISIS label: Raw Lights (1985), To Every Heartbeat (1986), Earth Is Rising (1987), Waves of Freedom (1989), Homegrown (1990), Freestar (1991), A Woman's Body (1993), Human Nature (1995), Animal Lovers' Project (2000), Wild Card (2005)

'Wild Card' is filled with Richards' trademark melodic inventiveness, lush harmony, and vocal virtuosity. Songs include the lullaby 'Eiron's, Song,' the raucous dance tune 'The People Danced,' and the epic challenge 'Truth and Reconciliation in the USA.' Richards is joined by harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth, bassist Todd Perkins, vocalist Alyssa Schreiber, drummer Matthew Steward, cellist Abby Alwin, and percussionists Judy Piazza and Lori Fithian. 'Wild Card' explores topics from politics to spiritual awakening to love in it's myriad forms. They are songs to inspire, to ignite, to fall in love by - and they provide a moment of inner peace during tumultuous times. Richards is a prolific songwriter and recording artist. 'Wild Card' is her tenth recording; in her previous one, 'Animal Lovers' Project,' she collaborated with Oscar winning musician (Best Song for '8 Mile') Luis Resto, film and TV composer Daniel Kolton, and bassist Jason Boekeloo. In 1995 Richards turned her energy toward writing multi-media musicals. Her shows 'A Woman's Body,' 'Human Nature,' and 'Animal Lovers' Project' played to packed houses and traveled to cities in the US and in Canada. Quotes: ' 'Animal Lovers' Project' is a wonderful show. It comes straight from the heart, and that is an incredibly rare thing - a beautiful painting of the animal world.' Laurie Anderson Richards voice is rich and lusty... her work has at it's core, something big primal, and powerful. It drives her music and her dance. Rachel Urist, Ann Arbor Observer First of all there's her voice, which thwarts categorization as it flies from tremulous delicacy to raucous roar. Richards loyal listeners know that her voice is an oft looked over municipal treasure. Then there are her songs, which, often brimming with wit, irreverently skewer traditional boundaries of song craft, explore strange and wonderful image-scapes, and employ the richest and most unusual of harmonies and rhythmic textures. Ann Arbor News Jesse Richards, Artist Profile The last decade has seen the emergence of performing artists possessing emotional candor and political directness that has transformed the music industry. Singer, composer, dancer Jesse Richards takes her place among these artists, and is being recognized for the power and expansiveness of her talent. While Richards is a consumant musical craftsperson who carefully plans her effects, she makes frequent use off improvisation while performing. Using an electronic vocal loop, she creates layered textures and harmonies, displaying both the control of a baroque contrapuntist and the wild abandon of Jimi Hendrix. Richards' influences include the Beatles, Igor Stravinski and the sounds of nature. Her harmonic inventiveness brings the 'Eurythmics' to mind. She pushes against some of the same avant boundaries as (Kate Bush). Ultimately Jesse Richards carries us with her on an emotional, political and spiritual quest to stay conscious, no matter what the cost, in a society that tries to tell us sleep. Listen! Jesse Richards has released 10 recordings on the ISIS label: Raw Lights (1985), To Every Heartbeat (1986), Earth Is Rising (1987), Waves of Freedom (1989), Homegrown (1990), Freestar (1991), A Woman's Body (1993), Human Nature (1995), Animal Lovers' Project (2000), Wild Card (2005)